Hundreds turn out to pay their respects to Leeds surgeon after surfing tragedy

HUNDREDS of people gathered at a Leeds church to pay their respects to local surgeon Stuart Calder.

Mr Calder, 52, died after reportedly trying to save four teenagers from drowning in the sea off Mawgan Porth beach in Newquay, Cornwall, on October 26.

A funeral service was held at St Chad’s Church in Headingley yesterday, (Nov 12) where an estimated congregation of 600 people paid their respects.

Helen Reid, wife of the Rev Tom Lusty, said: “A talented orthopaedic surgeon, a father and a husband has been lost. It is shocking.”

Mr Calder became a trauma and orthopaedics consultant at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust in 1998, and was an active researcher, also helping to train generations of junior orthopaedic surgeons.

In a previous tribute, Julian Hartley, chief executive of the Trust, said: “This is devastating news and our hearts go out to the family of Mr Calder, who was an extremely popular and well respected member of our staff.”

Rachel Dunn, 42, and Kevin Reynolds, 44, both from St Austell, also died in the surfing tragedy.